Retribution
by AriMaye
Summary: In a fantasy world ravaged by war, on the run from a prison camp and trying to free her family, Lissa Bennet stumbles across a hidden castle in which she meets the mysterious and blind William Darcy. In exchange for his help, she offers to stay with him and is sucked back into the world of curses and intrigue that she swore to leave behind forever.
1. Chapter 1

Lissa sprinted across the forest floor in a panicked daze, cursing under her breath as she stumbled over roots and stones. It was pitch black. The foliage above blocked out any light that may come from the moon or stars, and she could barely see the trees in front of her in time to dart around them. She had been lucky so far, but she knew her luck would eventually run out if she wasn't careful. The last thing she needed to was to run into a tree and get knocked out. She could _not_ get caught.

She had no idea how long she'd been running. It could have been ten minutes or ten hours for all she could tell. As soon as she'd rolled under the wire she had taken off as fast as she could, but six months of malnourishment had taken its toll on her body, and she could feel herself beginning to slow.

The forest seemed to go on forever. From inside the walls of the prison, all she could see in every direction were trees. There was a single road that led into the prison, but of course she had run in the opposite direction. And so far it didn't seem as though anyone was following her.

LIssa tried to take her mind off of her burning lungs and abdomen by thinking about something, anything. She ran the escape plan through her mind again. It was very simple: wait for the caravan to come into the prison and while the guards were busy with the new prisoners, wiggle under the hold on the south side of the compound that she'd been digging out for the past two months with a rusty spoon.

It had been a flawed plan to begin with, and she was flat out amazed that she had made it this far. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation of weightlessness right before she face planted on the forest floor. She could feel the little stones on the ground bite into her hands and press against her chest and already bruised ribs. Her ankle twisted painfully around the root she had tripped over.

Ignoring the pain, because it was light and she was used to it, she pressed her cheek into the muddy ground and let her body relax. Everything was riding on her getting out, but then what? It wasn't as though she could just go look her family up. She had no idea where they were. They could be in the other prison, rotting, or free as larks for all she knew. But she didn't know, and that was the problem. An all too familiar wave of hopelessness washed over her, but she refused to cry. She hadn't cried in nearly three years, since the war had ended. Since they had lost.

Finally, she pushed herself back up to her feet and continued, at a slow jog this time. After what seemed like another ten hours, she began to notice a difference in the forest, the underbrush began to get thicker and harder to slog through, and she began to hope. And then, finally, she broke through the last of brambles and into civilization again.

Or, at least what amounted for civilization around here. She was in front of an abandoned train station and looking around she saw the obvious gang symbols. A bare light bulb cast an unsettling glow over the platform,illuminating the symbols. This was clearly a territory divide and she needed to stay out of the sight. The waiting platform was cracked and covered in moss. A few chairs sat against a wall, facing what was left of the tracks. Everything had been salvaged for the war, but whether by rebels or federation, it was hard to tell and didn't really matter at this point.

What did matter was that she stay out of sight before she found herself in the middle of a street fight. The thought of a real fight sent a thrill through her, but she had no weapon, and no strength, and she was alone.

Knowing full well that there were probably eyes everywhere, she slid back into the overgrown foliage and made her way around the station. It had once been huge, probably bustling. Then, and at long last, she became aware of the sounds of human life. She continued to slowly make her way around until she was finally clear of the station. Past it, settled between two falling down buildings, was a tall, also crumbling building, but with light and music pouring out of the ground level.

Lissa's mouth began to water immediately at the potential thought of food. She hadn't eaten in so long. But she had no money, and had no idea what she would be walking into. Her constantly aching stomach gave a massive growl, effectively putting an end to her debating. She looked left and right, up and down, and didn't see anyone. Slowly, she crept out of the forest, brushed the dirt and twigs off of her clothes as best she could, and made her way toward the open door.

She slowly stepped inside and immediately relaxed at the sight that greeted her. There were tables full of boisterous men and women, with waitresses and night ladies weaving around them. In the far left corner a small band was playing and to the right was a bar where the liquor was flowing freely.

Quickly forming a plan, she slipped into the shadows and continued to look around. These people were common folk. Everyone was dressed relatively the same, in black or brown pants and dark colored shirts. They were all part of the same pack, all wearing bright red belts around their hips. Some of their scabbards were red as well. Lissa looked down at her own dirty clothes—tight black pants, black tank top, and a dark green jacket, she should fit right in. She looked back up at the red belts and absentmindedly fingered her own waist, missing her blue belt.

Everything was loud and fast and surely no one would notice a missing loaf of bread and tankard of ale. She stood up straight and got right behind one of the barmaids serving the food. Just as the barmaid passed a table, Lissa reached out and snagged a tanker and some bread from her tray. Just as the barmaid felt the unbalance of her tray and swung around to yell at the men sitting at the table, Lissa was already out the door and around the side of the building.

She slid down against the wall to sit on the ground as she began scarfing down her meal. Looking around, she noticed how empty the rest of the streets were. This tavern was probably the high life of this entire territory. This was the whole problem with the federation, she griped to herself. While they lived in grand luxury in their massive cities, the rest of the common folk lived out here in the slums, with no prospects, no future, and having to fight daily just to keep other packs off of their territory.

Lissa was so absorbed in her food and thoughts that she didn't notice that she wasn't alone anymore until it was too late.

"Nice snag there," said a voice to her left.

She jerked her head up and saw two figures looming up beside her, blocking the alley and cutting her off from the main street. She scrambled to her feet, still clutching the rest of the bread.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I said nice snag, of the bread and drink. I saw you in there you know," the same man spoke.

She could see him now and was getting more than a bit uneasy. He was filthy from head to toe and so was his companion. They both reeked of trouble and were slowly edging closer to her. Lissa took a slow step back.

"Well that's nice," she replied, "But I must be going now. Good night."

"Wait a minute, who are you?" said the other man as he reached out and grabbed her arm, jerking her to a halt.

Instinct took over as Lissa whirled around and punched him. She heard a satisfying crunch and a yell as he let go of her arm to clutch at his broken nose. She whirled back around and began to sprint down the alley but just as she reached the end and was about to dive back into the woods, a heavy weight crashed into her from behind and pinned her to the ground.

She struggled and managed to jab an elbow into his ribcage. He bellowed and loosened his hold for just a second which allowed her to jerk her head back into his nose and push him off her. She scrambled for the woods, but he grabbed her foot and she went down. She kicked him squarely in the chest, jumped up, and whirled around to face him. If only she had a knife, she could deal with him easily. But she didn't, and he did.

He rose to face her, an angry snarl on his face as his friend came up beside him. It was then that she first saw the look of shock as he finally took in her full appearance, specifically: her face. Both of them had their knives drawn, and were advancing toward her. Lissa looked around frantically, but didn't see anything that would do any good as a weapon. And then one of them lunged for her. Just as he did, she saw the shock register on his face when he finally got a good look at her face, and the scar that was marred it. Using his distraction to her advantage, she was able to simply and easily dodge him as he flew by her, as well the next strike, and the next. But she couldn't dodge them forever.

Then she felt white hot pain in her left bicep and realized that one of their knives had caught her. She gave a shriek of pain and clutched the wound. She didn't have any choice—it was run or be done for—but just as she turned, a fist collided with her jaw and she saw stars as she collapsed on the ground.

But then there was a third figure. He came out of nowhere and then all three men were yelling and there was a clang of steel on steel, and Lissa realized that the third man had a sword. One of her attackers went down and she didn't wait around to see how it would end. She didn't need to get involved in any territory disputes. She dragged herself to her feet and sprinted for the cover of the woods.

She stumbled back into the black hole of the forest and let it swallow her for a few minutes while she leaned against a tree and tried to catch her breath. She stood as still as she could and listened for any sounds of the scuffle or of anyone following her. As much as she despised the idea, she did have to go back. She couldn't stay in the woods forever. She needed rest and soon.

Slowly, she began to creep back to the edge of the bramble and peeked between the leaves to where her attackers had been. They were both lying on the ground, very still, and there was no sign of the third man. She pushed aside the branches and stepped out of the cover of the trees.

Neither man stirred. Lissa slowly knelt down beside the first one and felt for a pulse—there wasn't one. All the while she continued looking around in case the third one chose to jump her. The second man was also quite dead. She stood and looked down at them, trying to figure out what to do. Then she noticed that they both still clutched their knives. Whoever the third attacker was, he hadn't taken their weapons which made this even more confusing.

Oh well. It was to her advantage. She knelt back down and removed the knife belt from the smaller man and secured it around her own waist before prying both knives from their cold fingers. After some more patting down, she was also able to procure some coin as well as one of their red belts, which she secured around her hips in the fashion she had seen on the clan in the tavern.

After one last cursory look around, she tugged at her clothes to make sure everything was straight and began to quickly walk back toward the tavern. She skirted her way back down the alley, making sure to check behind herself several times to make sure no one else was trying to sneak up on her. She then darted around the corner and into the blinding light and noise of the party.

She slunk back into the shadows and began to watch everyone. Grabbing the belt had been the right move, she now realized, because she didn't see even one person without one. It was a miracle she hadn't been caught the first time.

After several minutes, she began to make her way over to the bar all the while keeping close to the walls and in the shadows.

"What'll it be?" asked the very busty barmaid behind the counter.

"Nothing," Lissa replied with a wave of her hand, "I'd like to speak with the proprietor."

"Hey, Macy! Got someone here to see ya!" The barmaid yelled behind her into the kitchen.

A very tall, dark haired woman came out of the kitchen and looked at them expectantly, "Can I help you?" she asked Lissa. She was wearing a very tight dress with very little fabric, and over it was a massive full apron with bulging pockets.

"How much would a room be for the night?" Lissa asked.

Macy named her price and Lissa dug for her stolen coins, pulling out the right amount. Macy looked from the coins to the red belt around Lissa's waist before nodding and motioning for Lissa to follow her.

Macy led Lissa across the room to the back corner where there were two sets of elevator doors.

"Elevator's out. We take the stairs," Macy said, opening an old, rusted out door.

Macy immediately began marching up the metal staircase, but Lissa paused for a moment to look up the stairwell. There were at least ten flights total, and Lissa dearly hoped they weren't heading for the top. She began to tromp after Macy and was thankful when they stopped only three floors up.

The hallway they were in was molded and musty smelling. Lissa tried to discreetly hold her breath, but Macy just laughed, "Don't worry about offending me. It always smells like this and there ain't nothing anybody is gonna do about it."

Macy stopped in front of one of the doors and pulled a massive keychain out of her apron pocket. There were at least fifty keys on the ring and Macy began to flip through them, muttering to herself. Finally, she found the one she wanted and pulled it off.

Macy turned to Lissa and held the key out and nodded at one of the doors, "It's good for one night. Return it to me tonight or else pay for a second night."

Lissa nodded, took the key, and waited until Macy was on her way back down the stairs. Then, she turned to her room, inserted the key in the lock, and turned it. The door unlocked with a click, and Lissa stared at it in semi-amazement. She hadn't seen a real key since she was a little girl. This sector must have been hit hard during the war to knock out the electricity for so long. That or it had been a poor sector to begin with. These things were hard to tell nowadays and she had never paid attention to geography or social studies in school. Not that it would have done her any good now—all of the social and cultural patterns and locations had been so rearranged during the war that the overall landscape was completely different. Once great and rich cities were now slums. They all were. And great prison camps were erected right in the middle of protected forests to keep them hidden.

Lissa shut the door behind her and threw the dead bolt. The room was tiny with a bed, dresser, and bathroom. She peeked into the bathroom and recoiled at the unidentifiable but utterly disgusting smell. She shut the door and decided that she could hold it.

She was uneasy to get on the bed, but then realized: it was a bed! An actual, real bed. She hadn't slept on anything other than concrete or dirt for half a year . . . but that didn't mean she was going to chance that bed. The pillows were yellow and the cover was stained. She gingerly laid down on the floor and relaxed against it immediately.

Lissa stared up at the cracked ceiling, thinking about her family again. Were they alright? Where were they? Did Just then, a thin yellow light broke through the curtain and into the window. The sun was rising. Lissa stood and crossed the room to pull the curtain aside. The window was broken, but that didn't matter. She just stood there and watched the sun as it came up over the horizon of treetops. She was finally free.

Just then there was a commotion below her. She angled her neck so she could look straight down and was disturbed to see a large group of yelling people approach the doors of the inn. Their weapons were all drawn and they were waving them in the air. A shot rang out and one of them jerked back against his companions before collapsing.

Lissa couldn't believe it. Her first peaceful moment of freedom and a shoddy territory dispute happens! Just then, everything broke loose downstairs.

* * *

Hi everyone! So I'm back again with my brilliant beta Edelmira and here's my new story! I hope that you like it, and once again constructive criticism is very much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Lissa stared down at the mob below her, not believing her bad luck and bad timing. With a sigh, she turned and made for the door, patting at the knife belt as she went to make sure that everything was still there. She darted out the door and down the hall to the stairwell. The sounds of fighting echoed up. Down was definitely not an option. She started to scramble up the stairs as quickly as she could, taking them two and three steps at a time.

She didn't stop until she was finally at the top, and burst through the door marked "roof." The sun was completely over the horizon now and almost completely blinding. Lissa looked around the rooftop; it looked like any other in a big city with the air vents, long ago rusted out, and the crumbling fire escape ladder which was completely useless. Her only way off this roof was onto another.

She looked left and right and decided that the right building seemed to be in the better condition. She sprinted and jumped, landing with a practiced roll on the roof of the adjacent building. Gravel and broken glass scratched at her arms and bit into her palms, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. She could see the unmistakable puff of smoke rise up from the entrance of the tavern. _Just perfect_, she thought.

She found the door to the stairs, went through it, and found herself teetering at the edge of an abyss. The platform connecting the rooftop to the top stairs was out. She windmilled her arms and managed to fall backwards instead of forward. She stood back up and took stock of the situation. It was only about a three feet jump, and she didn't have any other choice. This staircase had to hold or else.

She jumped, and the entire staircase swayed under her. She didn't take the time to note the peril of her situation, she just booked it. She practically slid down the stairs, going as fast as she could without pitching forward. And then, finally, she was at the bottom, out the door, and in the back alleyway. More gunshots rang out behind her, so she ran the other direction, toward the still rising sun.

She took a few quick turns, not really caring where she was going, just trying to make it to the woods. And then, finally she was there. She crashed back through the underbrush and breathed a sigh of relief as she stumbled to a stop.

Looking around, Lissa noted that the forest she had begun to detest suddenly seemed quite appealing, but she'd be shod if she was going to run anymore. Walking at a slow, leisurely pace, she made it through the brush without any more mishaps. The daylight seeped through the foliage above, making everything glow green. It reminded her of a story book her father used to read to her, something about an emerald city.

Thinking of her father led her to think of her mother and sisters and then wonder where they were and if they were alive even. They had to have been sent to the water prison—the Federation didn't just arrest one family member at a time . . . . But how was she supposed to get to the water prison? There were at least two hundred miles and half an ocean between her and it, all the way on the other side of Federation territory.

As she mulled over these thoughts, Lissa began to lament all over again about the war and how badly they had lost. If only they'd had just a little more manpower, a little more machinery, perhaps they could have at least had a fighting chance against the tyrant leader of the Feds. But no, the main rebel supporter had to go and get himself shot, and the rebels lost the entire war.

It was her fault honestly, Lissa thought to herself, that her family was in prison in the first place. If she hadn't run off to fight a losing battle, perhaps her family would still be safe at home and not in the prisons erected after the war for "war criminals." They were filled with mostly just the innocent families of the soldiers, people who had nothing to do with the fighting at all.

The prisons did tell Lissa something, however, that their little uprising had scared the Feds. If they hadn't felt threatened by the rebels, they wouldn't have tried to throw half the countryside in prison to teach them a lesson.

This gave her hope, that perhaps they had pricked Mr. High And Mighty just a little more than he let on.

As she tromped over the roots and moss that covered the forest floor, Lissa became aware of a slight noise behind her. It was a very soft, very faint padding sound, and when she stopped it stopped too. She heaved a great sigh. This was just not her day. This plan was so poorly thought through. Sure she was free but now what? Get killed by whatever jungle cat or wolf was behind her?

She unsheathed both of her newly stolen knives and began to walk faster, keeping her eyes pealed for a climbable tree. The padding behind her got faster, too, and louder. She needed that tree _now_.

And then looming in front of her out of the greenery was massive structure. As she got closer, she realized that it was a stone wall._ This is getting better and better_, she thought. She broke from the woods and into a small clearing in front of the wall and then looked to the left and right. It went on for quite a while which meant she was trapped. She began to look desperately around for a tree or foothold in the wall—anything. There were great vines climbing up the wall. Surely they would be strong enough to hold her weight.

She sprinted to them, painfully aware of the crashing in the trees behind her. Just then, something about the wall to her left caught her eye. The shadowing was strange, almost like there was a . . . . she ran toward it and was immensely relieved to see she was right. It was a gate.

But just as quickly as her hopes had risen, they were dashed as she collided against it and realized it was locked. But there was more ivy and footholds thanks to the iron of the gate. She began to climb as quickly as she could and realized then that there was a hole at the top of one side where the iron had been bashed in. Balancing precariously, she stretched and managed to grab a branch of the vine and haul herself over and up for it was about fifteen feet from the ground.

Then she became aware of a growling below her. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder and looked down at not one but three wolves below her. Oh no. She still had five feet left to go and just as she pulled herself up, another foot one of the wolves lunged and snapped. Lissa let out a shriek and in a spurt of pure adrenaline, pulled herself up to the sizable hole, through it, and quickly slid down to the ground on the other side.

She winced as she landed on her ankle wrong, again, and scrambled away on all fours from the gate. The wolves lunged at the gate, trying to get to her, but thankfully it held. This place was unbelievably uncivilized.

Then, she turned around to try to get a look at where she was exactly. She was greeted with more forest and a beautiful sight: a path. Turning back to the gate, she realized just how overgrown everything was. The wall was massive, at least twenty feet high, and the stone carvings around the gate were exquisite and detailed. The gate itself was twisted and woven and beautiful, yet none of it looked as though it had been used in many, many years. This place was clearly, hopefully . . . abandoned.

She turned back to the path, eager to get away from the wolves that were still circling around and snarling on the other side of the gate, unhappy at having lost their prey. Slowly, she began to walk along the path. Her pace slowed more and more as she trudged on, as the adrenaline from before quickly left her system. She had not slept for well over a day now, and her body was severely overworked and malnourished, as well as injured. The wound in her arm was beginning to throb again, and she could feel the bleeding start up again from the climb. She could feel herself nodding off to sleep even as she walked.

Then, the path finally broke out into what appeared to be a massive round drive. It circled around an old fountain now covered in moss and slime and came to rest at the doorstep of an incredible mansion. Or rather, the bottom of the stairs that led up to the doorstep of the mansion. She gaped up at it, quite startled at having come across something so grand in the seemingly middle of nowhere. Where was she?

The house, too, appeared to be quite abandoned with ivy, vines, and moss crawling up the stone steps, door, and the entire front of it. Yet something about the place unnerved her and even as desperate as she was for someplace to sleep, she didn't quite want to go into that house. She felt as though it were looking at her but shook off the silly feeling.

She began to make her way around to the back and found that merely walking around the house was quite a hike itself. She continued to marvel at the structure. It had clearly once been quite brilliant in it's hayday. It reminded her of some of the ruins in South Diden yet this place was much more intact, not bombed out.

She finally came around the back corner and was greeted with a very overgrown garden and behind all of it exactly what she was looking for: the servants house. She started for it, her arm blazing in pain with every step. Finally, she reached the front door of the little cottage and pushed it open. It wasn't locked and didn't seem to have been used in quite some time either. She cautiously stepped inside and was greeted with the sight of a large hallway filled with rusted out machinery. Hm, not a servant's house then, but a tool shed. Ah well, same thing basically. All she needed was someplace to just lie down for a few hours.

She inched past the rusty machinery, which seemed to consist of a random mishmash of gears and pipes. The wall across from everything was also covered in moss, and Lissa noted absently that it reminded her of her Aunt Gardiner. Aunt and Uncle Gardiner were quite an odd pair. Uncle G. was a normal man with a normal job, but her aunt G. on the other hand, was a bona fide witch. She was certified and everything and even Jane, who was quite doubtful about witchcraft, was convinced that aunt G. was the real deal.

Aunt G. had her many quirks and one of them was being quite fond of moss. Whenever Lissa visited them as a girl, aunt G. would always be covering something in moss. She would claim it calmed her, with its green softness. Lissa had always just passed it off as a quirk of a witch, but the moss that seemed to permeate everything around here was beginning to make her nervous.

Her strength was sapping quickly. She had to lie down before she passed out. She came to another closed door and pushed it open to reveal a bare wooden floor and bare walls. The floor was warped, but everything seemed fairly clean with no mold. Slowly, she lowered herself onto the floor, and despite how hard it was, she was asleep as soon as her head hit the floorboards.

* * *

Lissa slowly came awake. Something had woken her but she wasn't sure what. She cracked her eyes open and found herself staring into the twin black holes of a shotgun. Her eyes flew open and she shot up into a sitting position, looking around to get her bearings before her eyes landed back on the gun. It was held but a very small, very blonde, and very angry young woman.

"You have ten seconds to get off my property before I blow your head off," she snarled at Lissa.

Lissa jumped up, "Yes, I understand. I'm going," she said as she inched her way around the woman toward the door.

"Wait a second," the woman called after her.

Lissa froze and slowly turned around, "Yes?"

"How did you get in here?" The angry woman asked.

"In this shed on the property?"

"Yes."

Lissa paused for only a second before replying, "Over the gate. There's a hole at the top."

"Why are you here?" The woman asked curiously.

"I needed a place to sleep," Lissa answered, before throwing in, "And I would appreciate it if you didn't kick me out."

"Why shouldn't I kick you out? You're a red. I don't need your kind of trouble," the woman snarled angrily.

Lissa looked down at her waist. She had forgotten about the belt! Cursing inwardly, she hastily yanked it off, stumbling to try to explain in her still sleepy state. "It's not mine. I was just trying to blend into the city. I'm not a red. Please, I don't mean any trouble. I just need a place to sleep."

"Hm . . . and why couldn't you stay in the city?"

"There was a mob raid. I had to run. I found this place by accident," Lissa replied, still painfully aware that the shotgun was still pointed straight at her.

"What's your name?" The woman finally asked, still looking skeptical.

"Lissa."

"Well Lissa, I'm Gigi. Follow me," she turned and started out the door, "I'm going to take you to meet Will."

* * *

Author's Note-Hi again! Thanks for your reviews! I really appreciate them. I couldn't help but notice, however, that there are quite a few lurkers out there, and I would appreciate it also if all of you would review as well. Please, this is a brand-new story for me and I really need the feedback.

Thank you! And I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Lissa followed the strange woman out of the shed, across the wide expanse of lawn, and to a small side door on the looming mansion. Gigi opened the door and stepped inside before motioning with her gun for Lissa to continue through. Lissa found herself being led through a maze of hallways and rooms for seemingly forever. As she was led through the mansion, she began to notice a trend with the decour. All of the walls were entirely bare stone with no sign of paint or art on any of them. The halls were bare as well with no furniture in any of them save for a small round table in the corners of each turn. Each table was different with a different shape and pattern. The tops of the tables were quite scratched up and when she dared sneak a closer look while keeping a furtive eye on Gigi, she realized that the scratches were words.

It was all very strange and mysterious and with every step she wondered who on earth this woman was and who exactly she was going to see. Finally, she found herself stepping through the doors into a large sitting room. The room actually had some furnishings; there was a desk to her left and several bookcases surrounded the walls. Some were completely full and others were entirely empty. Straight ahead of her was a fireplace and in front of the fireplace, facing it, was a very large sitting chair, the kind with the high, rounded back that tried to play at being a throne. In the fireplace was a roaring fire despite the fact that winter was well over and the room was stifling.

The fire cast an eerie glow about the room but a glance at her companion told Lissa that Gigi didn't seem to be affected at all.

"I caught a trespasser," Gigi announced to the room.

For half a second, Lissa thought that she was in the presence of a madwoman but suddenly, a figure rose up out of the chair. It was a man, yet even as he turned to face them, Lissa couldn't quite make out his features because of the shadow around his face cast by the fire. He was quite tall and fairly well built but that was all she could make out. He remained next to the chair with one hand resting on the top of it.

"Where?" he asked.

"In the machine shed. She's a red," Gigi responded, waving her gun in Lissa's direction.

"I'm not a red," Lissa said. "I told you before and I'll tell you again: I'm not."

"Yes, and you just _happened_ to be wearing a red belt when I found you, then," Gigi said sarcastically.

"I don't get you," Lissa snapped, "You go from threatening to shoot me, to telling me to leave, to dragging me here, and now just calling me a liar all over again! Make up your mind!"

"Alright then . . . " Gigi said as she fluidly lifted the gun to her shoulder and pointed it straight at Lissa, "How about option number one?"

"No one is going to shoot anyone," the strange man by the fire said. "Gigi, put the gun down."

"But, Will! She was trespassing. She could be a spy. We have no idea who she is."

"And I'm sure that shooting her dead will ensure that she answers all of our questions," Will said, "But perhaps we could dispense with that option for the moment?"

As Gigi reluctantly lowered her gun, he turned to Lissa, "Who are you?"

"My name is Lissa. I'm not a red, I swear. I only stole the belt to blend in with the crowds in the city."

"Then why are you here if you were in the city?" Will asked.

"There was a mob attack this morning at the inn I was staying at; some territory dispute I'm assuming. I didn't want to get mixed up in pack politics so I just left, started walking through the woods and found this place. It looked abandoned so I came in."

"And how exactly did you get in?" he asked.

"There's a hole at the top of the gate. I climbed up through it."

"Hm . . . " he said as he took a few slow steps toward her. As he did, the shadow fell away from his face and Lissa was finally able to see him. It was shocking. His eyes were not quite milky but they were slightly glazed over from disuse. They were blank and staring straight ahead, just over her head. And there was something else in them that Lissa couldn't quite put her finger on in the flickering light of the fire.

"You're blind," Lissa said.

"Really? I hadn't noticed . . . " Will said.

He continued to take slow steps until he was right in front of Lissa.

"Stop," Gigi said.

"Yes, I know," he replied irritably.

He then lifted up his hand to Lissa's face and gently ran his fingers over her features. Lissa stood very still, trying to resist the urge to step back and run. The only thing stopping her was the knowledge that Gigi still had the gun pointed securely at her. But she did flinch when his fingers paused over the scar on her cheek and began tracing it. She tried to subtly pull her head back but his fingers only followed her.

"You've seen some hard fighting," he observed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Lissa threw his words back at him.

He gave a small huff and then turned away. "You can stay," he said.

Lissa was surprised, but merely nodded, feeling stupid even as she did, knowing that he couldn't see her. "Thank you."

"What?" Gigi shouted. "You're just going to let her _stay_ here? We know nothing about her! She could be a spy. She could go running back with stories about where we are, what we're doing . . . . Why, Will?"

"Um, excuse me?" Lissa spoke up.

"No. You shut up," Gigi snapped, once again hauling the gun level with Lissa's face.

"Gigi," Will said wearily.

"No. You, too. It's my turn to talk," Gigi said. "We know _nothing_ about her, Will . . . nothing at all. She could be anyone. She could be an assassin or a red. She probably _is_ by the way. Or a spy! Honestly, Will, have you lost your mind?"

"Yes, yes, you've said that so many times now," Lissa broke in, exasperated, "A spy for _who_ exactly?"

"You tell us!" Gigi said.

"Listen, I am _not_ a spy. Okay? I'm not . . . I'm not a red, or an assassin. Please . . ."

"Both of you, please stop," Will said calmly from his chair, where he had sat back down.

"Fine, fine! Alright then . . . well, if you wake up with your throat slit, Will, it won't be my fault!" Gigi shouted before turning on heel and storming out of the room.

There were several moments of silence during which Lissa just stood in the same spot, frozen and unsure of what to do.

"Good luck slitting my throat by the way," Will said suddenly, with laughter in his voice.

"Why do you trust me quickly?" Lissa asked, taking a cautious step toward him, half expecting Gigi to come back.

"Oh, I don't. But you can stay. I have a way of reading people, whether they are going to kill me tonight or the next night. But I do know it won't be tonight. And if you are a spy, perhaps you'll slip and I'll get some information."

"I'm not a spy," Lissa said quietly.

By then she was standing beside his chair. She looked down at him and wondered. He looked fairly young, perhaps mid-twenties, with curly, tousled, black hair. Suddenly, his head turned and he looked straight at her face, his glazed eyes seemed to bore into her and she had to remind herself that he couldn't actually see her. Lissa cocked her head to the side and studied him and they continued their one-way staring match until Will finally turned his face to the fire once again.

"Gigi will eventually show you to a room, but a word of advice: don't follow her if she goes below this level. She'll probably be trying to put you into the dungeons."

Lissa nodded again and then felt stupid, "Yes. Thank you again," she said quietly before slowly backing away from him and out of the room.

Once back in the drab hall, she took a breath of the dusty, yet much cooler air, and again contemplated just what it was about Will that was so strange. Something about his eyes, something more than just being blind. It was almost as if there was something in there, swirling around, unable to keep still. Lissa swung around to stare at the back of the chair that he was sitting in. Magic. That was it. There was magic in his eyes.

* * *

Some time later, Gigi finally reappeared, thankfully devoid of the shotgun this time.

"Follow me," she said shortly to Lissa before turning heel and marching back the direction she had come.

Lissa cautiously followed her, keeping Will's advice about dungeons in mind. Thankfully, however, it seemed that Gigi was heading for a very wide, majestic staircase that spiraled up and up into the mansion. Lissa counted five balconies. Gigi began to ascend the stairs and with a deep sigh at the thought of more steps to climb, Lissa followed her.

Gigi didn't look back at Lissa even once and her tense back and stiff walk told Lissa that she was still clearly unhappy with Will's decision.

_Who exactly are they_? Lissa wondered. Husband and wife perhaps? That option seemed the most likely, especially because of the way Gigi had snapped at Will. It didn't seem like she was his housekeeper. Then again, Lissa mused, this whole situation was quite probably the strangest she had ever been in.

At the moment, however, she couldn't bring herself to care or even contemplate the great mystery of it. She was so tired and the thought of a potential and real bed made her body feel even more sluggish as she continued to drag herself up the endless stairs.

Gigi seemed set on running Lissa's body into the ground. At long last, Gigi turned off the stairs onto the fourth floor balcony and began to lead her through a back hallway, once again through a maze of twists and turns that Lissa tried to force her tired mind to keep up with. Then Gigi stopped in front of a door, pushed it open, and motioned for Lissa to proceed in.

Lissa went in slowly and looked around. It was small, probably a former maid's room, with a simple bed, dresser, and a tiny bathroom that barely held the toilet and shower. The sink itself was in the bedroom.

"You'll stay here," Gigi said. "You will not go exploring. If you want something, come down to the first level and find either me or Will. Do not open any of the doors and just . . . stay out of our business. I don't know who you are and I do not trust you," she began to close the door as she left, but then paused, "And remember . . . I see everything."

And with those ominous words, she closed the door securely and Lissa could hear her stomping footsteps walk back down the hall. Her tired mind found Gigi's parting words funny and she giggled as she stumbled the two steps to the bed and collapsed on it. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Lissa woke with a jerk and her hand went immediately to her side where she kept a shard of broken glass as a makeshift weapon. It wasn't there. She shot straight up, feeling the softness of the bed beneath her and looking around frantically. This definitely wasn't the concrete cell she had slept in for the past six months. Finally, the events of the past two days came flooding back. _Or was it three days now_? she wondered as she noted the faint light outside, for it wasn't the light of a sunset, but of a sunrise.

Just as she began to wonder what had woken her, there was a sharp, impatient knock at the door.

"You in there?" came an irritated, feminine voice that Lissa slogged through her tired mind to identify.

Gigi. That was it.

Lissa stumbled off the bed, her hand still patting down her side to try to find the knife she had picked up the day before. It still wasn't there. She started to look on the bed and floor, but didn't see it. Ah, that's right. She had left it in the machine shed where Gigi had told her to drop it. That had been a stupid decision, she now realized. Her mind had been too tired yesterday to think one hundred percent rationally, obviously.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she crossed the floor in one large step to yank open the door just as Gigi knocked again, harder.

She looked at the woman on the other side of the doorway. Gigi still held that same expression of disapproval.

"Yes?" Lissa asked.

"You've been asleep for almost an entire day," Gigi informed her, "And Will insisted that I invite you to breakfast this morning. We will eat in about an hour."

"You woke me up now just to tell me that?" Lissa asked, "Why couldn't you wait an hour?"

"Because I thought you might like to . . . bathe," Gigi said, looking Lissa up and down.

Lissa sighed, "Yes, I suppose I would. Thank you so much for you consideration," she said as falsely polite as she could.

Gigi huffed and shoved a towel and bottle of shampoo into Lissa's hands and with a parting glare, reached into the room to slam the door shut once again.

Lissa turned around and went to observe the bathroom. It did seem quite a bit cleaner than the one at the inn. It was very simple, rustic even. She hesitantly turned the knob on the shower and after some frightening gurgling, it spewed out rusty brown water.

Lissa jumped back with a shriek, hastily wiping her face on the towel. She looked at the stream of nasty water with a sigh. But then, slowly, the brown began to get lighter until the water finally ran clear. Lissa continued to observe the water for a while. Once she was satisfied that it would remain clean, she began to peel off the mud encrusted clothing that she had been wearing for far too long.

Possibly an hour later, both Lissa and her clothes were relatively, yet gloriously, clean. She stood in front of the small mirror in her room as she toweled off her hair. She felt good, yet so, so strange. Everything had been going against her for so long that she was just waiting for this to turn on her. Yet, determined to enjoy this little experience while it lasted, she flipped her hair back, tossed the towel over the shower door, and strode out of the room to have breakfast, hoping she wasn't about to be poisoned.

* * *

AN - Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I appreciate them and hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

It quickly became apparent to Lissa that she was completely and utterly lost. She had been wandering the maze of dead, barren hallways for quite a while now. And she was sure she had been down this one just a few minutes ago . . . .

Growling softly to herself, she rounded three more corners and finally, there it was! The staircase! With a sigh of relief, she hurried toward it and began to go down them as quickly as she could.

When she reached the ground floor, however, she was presented with yet another geographical problem: Where on earth were they eating breakfast? Her stomach growled ferociously at the thought of food as she began to wander around. She figured Gigi would be coming to find her sooner or later and she was right. A couple minutes later, Gigi stomped out of a room and stopped dead when she saw Lissa.

"There you are! You're late. Come on," Gigi said before turning back around.

Gigi liked to stomp, and snap, Lissa observed as she followed her into the room. This room, too, was furnished. It held a massive dining table with at least twenty chairs around it and plenty of room for more. And Lissa was satisfied to note that the fireplace was indeed unlit.

Will was seated at the head of the table and Gigi took a the seat to his right.

"You're late," Gigi re-informed Lissa.

"Oh, I do apologize," Lissa replied as she started for the third place setting, this one to Will's left.

She sat down and looked around. The plates were empty and there was no sign of food on either the table or on the empty wooden buffet table that ran along the wall across from her. Neither Gigi or Will seemed perturbed by this and neither rose to do anything about it so Lissa remained seated.

_Were there servants or something_? she wondered, still looking around. The silence was beginning to get awkward and she felt the strange need to say something. Anything.

"Thank you for lending me some clothes," Lissa finally said to Gigi.

Gigi waved her hand dismissively, "Lend nothing. You are never wearing those ridiculous rags again. Burn them."

"Okay then . . . " Lissa said under her breath.

Just then she heard a noise behind her and turned to see the door being pushed open by a short, stocky man carrying a tray that seemed to contain their breakfast. He walked to the other end of the table and set it down. After removing the lids from the platters, he picked one up and carried it to them.

He came to a stop beside Lissa's chair and held the tray in front of her. After a brief moment, Lissa realized she was supposed to help herself. And did she, taking a large spoonful of the delicious looking eggs. Some old, reserved form of manners told her not to dig in until everything and everyone was served.

The man then went to stand beside Will, who also took a helping of eggs without any assistance. The placement of everything must have been quite practiced for him to get the spoonful of eggs successfully from the platter to his plate.

"This is Collins by the way," Will said suddenly, waving a hand toward the man as he trotted around Will's chair to Gigi.

"Hello," Lissa said, unsure of what else to do.

"Very pleased to meet you, miss," Collins replied.

The rest of the food was served in the same manner: french toast, bacon, and fruit. Lissa couldn't help but stare at Gigi and Will. Did they do this _every day_? It was a bit ridiculous . . . a lot ridiculous in fact. Finally, all of the food was served and not a moment too soon because then Lissa's stomach let out a hideous snarl.

Gigi snickered behind her cloth napkin, but Will only said, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Please, do eat."

"Thank you," Lissa murmured, before throwing propriety to the wind and digging into her first real meal in six months.

She ignored Gigi's disgusted stares and made a point of not looking at Will at all. Halfway through her plate, however, she realized that she wasn't feeling too well. She suddenly sat back and put her fork down. To her utter disgust, her first thought was actually of poison. _Stupid, stupid_ she thought furiously to herself. Of course trying to eat so much all at once wouldn't agree with her stomach. This was as much food as she would get to eat in two to three days much less in one sitting.

Will must have sensed something was wrong, because he suddenly looked up, "Is everything alright?" he asked.

His direct stare at Lissa unnerved her; it was as though he really could see her. On impulse, she waved her hand frantically in front of his face but he didn't even blink.

"If you are warm, may I suggest an actual fan? It plugs in. Much easier," Will said.

Gigi snickered again but Lissa just looked between them furiously. "Ok, what is going on? I mean it. This is ridiculous. You . . . try to shoot me. Threaten me and then invite me to be a house guest and present me with enough food to feed a whale. And then just . . . why do you even need a servant?"

"I'm terribly sorry; we are being quite rude," Will said, but Lissa interrupted him.

"No, see, _that_. That is what I'm talking about. You are impossibly and ridiculously formal, all the time. You're clearly upper class, so what are you doing _here_?"

"I do believe I could ask you the same because you didn't acquire that proper way of speaking as a housemaid," Will said.

They stared at each other again, and Lissa was once more struck by the strangeness of his eyes. She hadn't seen actual magic in . . . years. Not since the war and that disastrous battle. Something wasn't quite right here, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Do you want to leave?" Will asked, almost as though he knew what she was thinking about.

"Perhaps I do," Lissa said uncertainly.

She stood, and Will did as well.

"Well then, perhaps I could at least provide you with some maps and coin, as well as a weapon," Will said before he turned to stride out of the room.

Lissa watched him go, utterly bewildered, and unsure as to what she should do. Sitting here wasn't going to help her family, but then again neither would running around blindly. She wasn't even one hundred percent sure of where she was, so maybe maps would be a good idea. And despite their seclusion, these people clearly had money, and perhaps even connections. Connections could be either good or bad.

After one last glance at Gigi, she followed Will. It wasn't hard to find him, for he had just gone across the hall. She went through the open door and was astounded by what lay on the other side. It was the largest library she had ever seen. It was massive. Instead of row by row shelves up the walls with a big moving ladder like she was used to, the room was completely round. The shelves spiraled up the walls, starting on floor level and then spiraling up as they went along. There was a staircase that followed them, set against the wall so the books were eye-level no matter where you were. All you had to do was run up the staircase around the entire room and you'd never have to jump or get a ladder.

The room was at least three stories high, not very big in circumference, but made up for by height. It was truly marvelous. She stood there, gawking at it for several minutes before Will's voice broke her from her amazement.

"The maps are all here, and I believe that . . . this drawer," he was running his hand along the drawers of the massive desk that sat in the center of the room, "is where the general local maps are. You'll have to get Collins; he knows for sure where everything is in here. He's the one who filed it all for me."

Lissa approached him and took the handful of maps he handed to her.

"You know your way around here pretty well," she commented, fishing for some sort of explanation.

"I do. I've had over two years of practice," Will said.

"So you haven't always been blind then?" Lissa asked.

"Ah, no. But that's all stuff and fluff, ancient history. If you want to leave, you know where the gate is. It was very nice to meet you."

With that, he strode out of the room, leaving her there with the maps. She slowly turned to them and unfolded them onto the top of the desk. After getting a rough idea of where she was at, she began to plot a route to South Dieden. Maybe if she could find Maggie and Eli there, they should be able to hook her up with some transport and papers.

She frowned, and ran her finger along the route. There were too many ifs in this plan. _If_ she could get to South Dieden safely. _If_ she could find Charlotte and Fitz, they might not even be there. _If_ she could get the correct papers to get her family out. _If_ her face isn't already plastered every wanted poster in the nation. _If_ she could magically get her family out of a high security prison without being recognized by the guards.

And there was the whole crux of this plan. By law, prisoners needed a well to do, respected family member to vouch for them. But the idea behind that was to simply throw the entire family in prison. If she pranced up saying, "I'm a relative," they would know something was up.

She buried her face in her hands and groaned. It was no use. She was useless. This would never work. She needed _family_ to vouch. She could go to her Aunt Gardiner but she was a witch. And witches very rarely had a say in anything, so there was no help there. The one and only other possible way to obtain a family member would be to . . . create one. She looked up suddenly at the open door Will had just walked though. Why, it was so stupid it might just work. But she would have to think about it first.

* * *

"I'll stay for a while longer," Lissa said to Will.

She had gone looking for him and had finally found him back in the same room with the burning fireplace. He was sitting in the chair again, staring straight ahead into the flames.

"Good. I'll have Gigi set you up with some more clothes," he said.

"Thank you," Lissa said.

She hesitated. Should she say more? Spill everything and reveal her half baked plan right here and now or wait to flesh it out? No, it was better to wait. After another moment's hesitation she turned and left the room.

She went back to the library and spent the rest of the afternoon there. She began to browse the shelves and realized that despite the endless flow of books, they were quite organized. It was truly amazing how so many books were in one place. Most books had been destroyed in the war and even before that they were becoming obsolete. With all of the new technologies, pods and electronic books and such, no one needed paper books.

So slowly, they began to fall to disrepair. Libraries closed down. And then the war struck and the bombs burned so many of them. At the same time, the tech bombs wiped out all of the electricity and all of the technology. Nothing worked, not the holograms or the pods or newspads or anything. People were back to basic radio, basic morse code, and basic books. Except there were no more books.

With these thoughts drifting idly through her mind, she began to wonder if there was anything up here about the war exactly. Two and a half years was surely enough time to have something written on the war and what happened to it as a whole. She knew only about her little part: they planned, they fought, they lost.

And then she was startled by a sudden knock. It was Gigi.

"You're still here I see," Gigi said with a sigh. "Oh well, supper time. C'mon."

Lissa got up and followed her to the dining room. This time, however, there were only two places at the table. Gigi sat at one and when Lissa didn't sit, she motioned impatiently for her to do so.

"Will isn't coming. He doesn't eat dinner, likes to retire early," Gigi said by way of explanation.

Lissa was pleased to note that this time, the food was already on the plates. With brief, irrational thoughts of poison still in the back of her mind, she slowly began to eat, making sure to not over do it this time.

"How long has Will been blind?" Lissa asked suddenly.

"Since the war," Gigi said shortly, "Not that it's any of your business."

After a moment's hesitation, Lissa inquired, "What side, exactly, where you on?"

"I don't see how that's relevant anymore," Gigi replied, "The war is over. The Federation won."

Lissa nodded slowly, "I suppose so."

Inside though, she knew it did still matter. It mattered very much or else the president wouldn't be putting all his "enemies" into the massive prison camps. And it mattered because the rebels had lost, and in losing they had lost not only their last chance at freedom, but they had gained a lifetime of imprisonment.

It still mattered. Her family mattered.


	5. Chapter 5

Immediately after dinner Lissa went straight to her room and to sleep. The next morning Gigi once again knocked on her door and left her with another set of clothes, a dress this time. Breakfast was a silent affair and afterwards, Will disappeared to who knows where and Gigi went to the kitchen.

Lissa stood in the main hall of the house and looked around. She was torn between going back to the library or exploring outside for a while. But her quest of getting to the Water Prison took first priority, and so she began to stride to the library.

She headed straight for the desk, but movement out of the corner of her eye startled her and she swung toward it. Oh, it was just Collins. She sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't see you there."

"That's perfectly fine, miss," Collins replied, "Can I help you find anything?"

"No . . . no," Lissa said hesitantly, looking around at the book shelves again. "Although . . . well. There is one thing. Collins?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Do you have any full accounts of the war in here? Because most people don't know what happened on the broad scale. They only know which battles they personally won or lost. Or if they did they didn't talk about it."

"I do happen to have a full account of the war, but it isn't in a book. It's up here," Collins said as he tapped his temple.

"If you would take the time I would be very grateful," Lissa asked, looking at him hopefully.

Collins looked at her for a moment before nodding, "Very well then."

He led her to the center of the room where the desk was and motioned her to sit down in the chair.

"Where to begin . . . . Okay, well. The Premier of course, as everyone knows I'm sure, was gaining more and more control over the parliament and such and so the people were becoming quite angry. The rebellion started quite small, and almost didn't happen, in fact. But then, when the factory in South Dieden issued a peaceful protest against their sudden wage drop and the Premier ordered them gunned down, that's when it all started.

"The rebellion started to organize at the same time the Premier ordered it unlawful for the lower classes to own guns. It was a race against time: how fast the rebels could amass an army verses how fast the Premier could remove their firearms. In the end, the rebels won that battle and they began attacking the massive estates of Federalist politicians in North Dieden.

Soon after that, North and South Dieden were completely divided, North to the Feds and South to the rebels. South Dieden became the headquarters base for the rebellion. Hayden declared themselves neutral and Ingo, the underwater city, went to the Feds while Sherwood went mostly rebel, with a few pockets of Feds.

"It was all a mess, with one year of all-out war. But in the second year of the war, the rebels, who had been doing so well, suddenly began to falter. They began losing battles all of a sudden. At first no one knew why, but then the rumor began going around that it was because of witches. That the witches were working for the Premier, that he had somehow controlled them and was using them to win the war."

"He was…" Lissa interrupted softly.

Collins looked at her, "Yes," he agreed. "He was."

Lissa looked away, the past anger and defeat welling up inside of her once again. The seeing what was happening, but being powerless to stop it. Like now, knowing her family was in a prison many miles away, and powerless to get them out.

She took a deep breath, "What happened next?"

"After they scrambled the armies, they suddenly pulled the Feds out and dropped something on the rebels. Something no one had ever seen before. A huge bomb, but not the kind that just kills. The initial shock wave was deadly, but the real destruction was to the technology. It killed every single electric object within a ten mile radius. It even took out walkie talkies. The entire surviving rebel force was suddenly without any kind of communication.

"This happened to all the rebel armies in every corner of the land. In Sherwood, the Diedens, and the few forces that had recently breached the capitol. After that the lands began to fall. But you could see the methodical way that the Premier did things. He didn't want things destroyed entirely. He wanted things to be repairable, but not for a while, and not by the rebels.

"So Sherwood was taken back by the Premier, and then North Dieden. Then the Premier ordered the air strikes, causing much damage. The rebels regrouped in South Dieden for the final battle. But then the witches' force field was back. It took less than two days for the Rebels to finally surrender. And so, two-and-a-half short years later, the war was over.

"And then the prison camps were set up, one in the far backwoods, the one nearest here. And the second was Ingo. But the thing that most people don't know, is that the Water Prison isn't just a boat floating in the middle of the sea . . . It is Ingo itself. The underwater city."

"What?" Lissa cried out, jumping up from her seat. "No! That cannot be . . . No."

This threw a great wrench into all of her plans, which had already been unstable. But this was even worse. To access Ingo took special transportation. Which meant that this whole endeavor was even more hopeless than she had originally thought.

"Is everything okay, miss?" Collins asked worriedly. "I hope I didn't upset you."

"I'm fine," Lissa said, sitting back down slowly.

Collins observed her for a few moments, "You seemed quite certain of the witches' alliance with the Premier," he commented.

"I am," Lissa murmured, still shaken, "I was there."

"Oh you were, were you?" Came a voice from the doorway.

Lissa spun around to see Will standing there, looking less than pleased.

"Collins, please excuse us for a minute," he said.

"Yes sir," Collins said as he left the room.

"So you were in battles?" Will asked Lissa.

"I was," she said.

"Which ones?"

"Dieden mostly."

"North or South?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Fine then. South," Lissa said, standing up straighter and crossing her arms.

"So I have been harboring a rebel fugitive in my home?"

"I offered to leave, you said I could stay, and you didn't ask."

"True, but nonetheless. Were you at the final battle?" Will asked her.

"I was."

"And did you truly notice witch activity?"

"Yes, I did."

"How? Are you a witch?"

Lissa couldn't help notice the slight sound of hopefulness in his voice. "No, I am not."

"Then how is it you could see the witch power?"

"I noticed that our men were suddenly losing when they had been winning moments before. No other explanation," Lissa lied.

"You are lying," Will said, "You see, part of going blind heightened my other senses. And, surprisingly, one of them is being able to tell when people are lying or not."

"Or perhaps not so surprisingly, seeing as there is clearly magic in your eyes. Which suggests a curse, rather than a simple war wound."

Will stilled, his sightless eyes boring into her once again, "You can see magic then?"

"Yes, but I cannot influence it at all. I promise. That is not a lie," Lissa hurried to add.

"Interesting gift," Will mused. "But about Ingo. Why so interested and distressed?"

"I cannot say."

"I do believe you can, because if you don't, you can leave," Will said.

"Fine then. Goodbye."

"And if you leave, you will be left without any kind of money to get to it, if in fact you do reach Ingo, or to get anyone out of it. It's already quite a miracle you managed to escape from the Land Prison."

"We called it Dowagiac." Lissa slumped against the door and looked at him, "What do you want?"

He tilted his head to one side, "I'm honestly not quite sure. But you intrigue me. You're a nice distraction from the dull monotony of this life."

Lissa looked at him and thought back to her idea. "I have relatives . . . in Ingo. And as you probably know, the only way to get someone out of prison is to have connections, or to be a relative to vouch for their good behavior. Seeing as I am already a fugitive, my being a relative wouldn't help; I would just get tossed back into the Dowagiac and have to start all over. So the only way to get them out is to create a relative."

"Where exactly are you going with this?"

"Marry me. Get my family out. And then I'll leave, or I'll stay, whichever you prefer. Or, I leave now and you never find out how this story ends."

Will's face was incredulous, "Did you really just propose that to me?"

Lissa straightened once again. This was her only chance. "I did."

Then, with a thoughtful look on his face, Will asked, "What is your full name? And your family's name?"

"My name is Elizabeth Bennet. My parents and two sisters, also Bennets, are in Ingo."

Will's sightless eyes bored into her, "Bennet?" he asked softly.

"Yes . . . is there a problem?"

"Excuse me," Will said in a clipped tone as he turned to stride out of the room.

Lissa watched him go, feeling foolish yet hopeless at the same time. That was her only shot and she had just ruined it.

* * *

Lissa wandered up to her room and lay down on the gloriously soft bed. Staring up at the ceiling, she began to think of her other options. But then she realized . . . she had no other options. No other plans. The marriage idea was her one and only plan and it had been so far fetched to begin with. She struggled to keep her throat from closing up, and to hold back to the tears threatening to well up.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She slowly stood, wiped her eyes and took several deep breaths before opening the door. It was Gigi.

"Dinner," Gigi said shortly before turning around and walking back down the hall.

Dinner. Of course. Lissa slowly began to trail after her. Dinner was the same affair as the night before and still missing Will, for which Lissa was very grateful. She ate silently and slowly before getting up and going back upstairs to her room.

Lissa filled up the fairly small tub in the bathroom and then took a wonderously long and warm bath before falling into the bed and into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning she stumbled sleepily down to breakfast, but stopped short when she realized that Will was sitting at the table. As silently as she could, she slipped into her chair next to him. But there was no such thing as too quiet for his ears. His head turned toward her instantly.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," he said, clearly making a dig.

"Good morning," Lissa said, forcing her voice to be even and clear.

She could feel Gigi's eyes on her, wondering where the "Elizabeth" came from. Suddenly, Will turned to her again.

"Your family is indeed in Ingo. They have been there for six months now," he said.

Lissa stared at him, her thoughts racing, "How do you know that?"

"I have my ways. And in answer to your previous proposal: yes, I will marry you."

Lissa and Gigi both gaped at him, but he just smiled as he assessed the silence.

"Thank you," Lissa managed to choke out at the same time Gigi screeched, "_What_?"

"On one condition," Will continued as though he hadn't heard either of them. "I will accompany you to Ingo and will personally help you free your family."

Lissa stared at him. "Why?" she whispered, "I knew it was a shot in the dark to ask you to help me, but why are you?"

"A shot in the dark . . . interesting way of putting it," Will said. "I am helping you because I want to escape the dark."

"And now I get to ask. Why, Will?" Gigi said.

"Because Gigi, I have been sitting here for the past two and a half years not doing anything. And whatever I do, I mess up horribly." He then turned to where Collins was hovering on the other side of the table. "It will work won't it, Collins? I can marry Lissa, claim myself as a good standing relative, and then free her family, correct?"

"If you don't get arrested yourself . . . if I may be so bold. And besides, sir," Collins said with a distinct edge to his voice, "There is an easier way to go about this."

"Yes, but that's what got us into this whole mess in the first place now wasn't it?" Will countered.

"Will, you can't. And you know you can't. Please, don't do this." Gigi begged.

Lissa sat there, looking between Collins and Will, confused by their whole exchange.

"I will do this," Will said. "Now all we need is a justice of the peace, and a legal marriage document."

"Wait, wait," Lissa said suddenly. "Let's get some things straight here first."

"Like what?" Will asked.

"Like what happens after I free my family? What happens to me."

Will was silent for a moment, "Perhaps we should deal with that when we get to it."

"No, I want to know now. What happens to me? To my family? Once they're free it's not as if they can just resume their lives. They'll still be watched. And I'm still a fugitive. Nothing can change that."

"You're a _what_?" Gigi yelled, "Really, Will, this is too much. Think sense!"

"I am," Will said, "For the first time in my life. Lissa, once your family is free, you are free to do as you please. Although, if I may point out, since you are a fugitive, perhaps it would be safer to remain under the radar. To remain here. I can offer you my protection and your family's too if they need it."

"Why are you doing this?" Lissa asked, "What do you hope to accomplish?"

"I only wish to right a wrong," Will said. "And now, Collins, if you could see about a justice of the peace?"

* * *

_Hi all! Wow it's been forever since I updated, sorry about that. :( I recently got a job so between that and school I barely have time to write. So thanks goes to my beta, Edelmira, for pushing me to write this. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And once again, reviews are much appreciated. Thank you for your patience! _


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